Joseph Geha (born 1944, Zahle, Lebanon), professor-emeritus at

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...

, is the author of two books, ''Through and Through: Toledo Stories,'' one of the first books of modern Arab-American fiction, and ''Lebanese Blonde,'' a novel. He has also published poems, plays, essays and short fiction in periodicals and anthologies such as ''

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'', ''Growing Up Ethnic in America'', and ''

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''.

Education

Geha moved to the United States in 1946 with his family, and in 1962 graduated from St. Francis de Sales High School in Toledo, Ohio. He graduated from the

University of Toledo The University of Toledo (UToledo or UT) is a public research university in Toledo, Ohio. It is the northernmost campus of the University System of Ohio. The university also operates a Health Science campus, which includes the University of T ...

in 1966 with a B.A., and 1968 with an M.A. in English. Before coming to Iowa State in 1977, he taught English and Creative Writing at

Missouri State University Missouri State University (MSU or MO State), formerly Southwest Missouri State University, is a public university in Springfield, Missouri. Founded in 1905 as the Fourth District Normal School, it is the state's second largest university by enr ...

Bowling Green State University Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized programs and research facilities in the ...

and the

Awards

Geha was awarded a fellowship from the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

in 1988 and a

Pushcart Prize The Pushcart Prize is an American literary prize published by Pushcart Press that honors the best "poetry, short fiction, essays or literary whatnot" published in the small presses over the previous year. Magazine and small book press editors are ...

in Fiction in 1990. His work was chosen for inclusion in the Permanent Collection, Arab-American Archive, of the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

. He was named an

Arab American Book Award The Arab American Book Award, established in 2006, is an annual literary award to celebrate and support the research of, and the written work of, Arab Americans and their culture. The Arab American Book Award encourages the publication and excelle ...

Winner in 2013 for his novel ''Lebanese Blonde''.

Works

* ''Through and Through: Toledo Stories'' (1990, Graywolf Press; 2009 second, expanded version, University of Syracuse Press) (short fiction) * ''Flyway: Arab American Writing'' (2002, Iowa State University) (editor) * ''Lebanese Blonde'' (2012, University of Michigan Press) (novel)

References

Scholarly criticism

* Salaita, Steven (2001).
Sand Niggers, Small Shops, and Uncle Sam: Cultural Negotiation in the Fiction of Joseph Geha and Diana Abu-Jaber
(PDF). ''Criticism''. 43 (4). Retrieved July 30, 2016 – via Project MUSE.

External links

* * 1944 births Living people American writers of Lebanese descent Iowa State University faculty University of Toledo alumni American male novelists American male short story writers Novelists from Iowa {{Lebanon-writer-stub